When Ben Franklin wrote “Time is Money” in 1748, he was advising his audience not to be lazy and frivolous with their money. In modern times, we focus on the need to be paid for one’s time because time spent on one task is time that cannot be allocated to another task. (We’ll save the plusses and minuses of multitasking for another day). When a SymPro and client set an appointment to meet on Symposium, both members need to be aware of the value of the other person’s time.
When experts set up their profiles and offers, they should also set up availability for appointments. On the Create Your Offer page, use the sliders to select available hours and you may also select start and end dates. Bookings can be confirmed automatically if you know for certain that you will be available, or you can confirm manually. If you need to change your availability, the listing can be from your User Profile. First, open the sidebar menu and tap the link labeled “My Profile.” Next, find the listing you’d like to edit under your “Listings” tab, tap it, and tap the “Edit” button on the Details screen.
Experts can keep track of their scheduled appointments and availability by tapping on the Calendar tab in the profile. While it is not encouraged, if necessary, hosts may cancel booked appointments. To do so, tap or slide the calendar entry you wish to cancel, then tap the “Cancel” button. It is best to message the guest from the calendar to reschedule. Clients may also cancel up to 24 hours before the scheduled meeting at no charge. Within 24 hours, there is a late cancellation fee of 50% of the listing price, and a no-show fee of 100% of the listing price. Clients may arrive late, but if the host arrives on time and a SymTalk or SymGram has begun, clients are responsible for paying for the entire session. Clients may arrive late, but if they arrive past the halfway point, the host is no longer required to be there, and guests are responsible for the full listing price. If the client is on time, but the host is late or has technical issues, the fee will be reduced by a per-minute rate.
Both the client and the expert must respect one another’s time to ensure that Symposium remains a trustworthy platform for hosts and guests.
